Review: Arsenal 3 - Newcastle 0

Well, this is as good a time as any to get back into this. Quite a few things to talk about, related to the game and otherwise.

All in all, more of the same: a 3-0 drubbing over a dismal Newcastle team. It could have, and should have been more. It's good to see the confidence back in the team, and honestly, apart from the defeat to Fulham, we've conceded only one goal since the start, and scored 10 goals in the league and Champions League. Yes, we're talking about Twente, West Brom and Newcastle, but they were still competitive matches. Not some Burgenland runabout.

To the player ratings:

Almunia 7 -Another comfortable game. The few times he was involved, he looked pretty confident.

Sagna 7 - Well, little left to say these days except Bacary has set really consistently high standards for himself. He keeps it up, the boy. Not sure how he does it. In control, and as always, both a threat upfront and reliable at the back.

Toure 7 - A really good, quiet game. I think we missed him. Djourou has stood in well, but Kolo's in a different league. Should've scored.

Gallas 7 - A good game for the captain. Wonder what Silvestre must've been thinking sitting in the stands with Paddy Vieira - "am I going to be stuck in the Carling Cup???"

Clichy 8 - Ditto as with Sagna. Don't think I need to say anymore...which is good and bad really. Hope never to talk him for granted.

Eboue 7 - OK OK...he did have a pretty decent game. Set up the second goal too. Credit where it's due, but let's hope he keeps it up.

Denilson 8 - Yes, at last, the game we've been waiting for the boy. He even scored. Maybe he was just sick of being next to Eboue the last couple of games. But yes, this is hopefully sign of things to come.

Cesc 8 - We so so so missed him. It's almost scary. Had a quiet game by his standards, but still managed to pull all the strings almost effortlessly.

Nasri 8.5 - At times, he made some scarily good runs on the ball. Great movement, passing and energy. He's going to be sooo much better than Hleb. Have given him extra credit for taking out that fuck Joey Barton. We'll talk about Barton's challenge and smirk later, but let's just say his take out with just that oh-so tiny flick of his foot was just brilliant. Well worth a yellow card. What the hell moron King Kev was raging about was another thing. What did he want? A lifetime suspension? Time behind bars? Just an absolutely fucking stupid twat for raving at Samir after the game and to the media. He has so lost the plot. But more later.

RVP 8 - Yay. He scores! Great all around. Nice penalty, second goal and all. But but but. Gets injured with what looks like an innocuous nick. Oh sigh. Maybe it's just a secret ploy to get him off international duty next week. heh heh heh.

Adebayor 8 - Good performance that deserved a goal. Won the penalty, assisted in the second and third goals, and was just a pain all day long for the Newcastle defence. He'll score soon if he keeps it up. But his work rate is just excellent.

As for the subs, it was good run for Carlos Vela, and I can see him making a few actual starts. Really encouraging, and seems to have a good head. He should give Eduardo a good run for his money. Theo made a good appearance too, though he really should've scored at the end of a dream Arse move.

Now, where were we? Oh yes: bloody Kev and Barton. First, let's just say that yes, his challenge was alright. But it was a millimetre away from a straight red. It was unnecessary, and we all know it was meant to signal his return. The smirk at the end to Samir was just typical, brainless thug shit. How he can get away from that is just amazing in the first instance. But of course, nobody saw it except the millions on TV. Great the Samir didn't react then, and saved it for later. That was one yummy nick. Good on the boy.

Of course, now that Kev has decided to go ballistic, it should be clear to all that the man has lost it. What business he has bringing back to thug for 2 minutes, then raving about something like a "dangerous" challenge is just surreal. Someone ban him for senility. Poor useless twat.

There's gonna be a good game tonight. Honestly, I just love ties like Chelsea v Spurs. Basically, no matter what happens, I'll be happy. Chelski win will mean Spurs (4th place Spurs) will have gotten off to the flying start of three straight losses, and rock bottom. Just absolutely brilliant. A draw would mean that Chelski have dropped points, and of course - if the miracle happens (which it won't) then nothing better than Chelski dropping three. A win-win-win situation for me, looks like.

Finally, there's some bullshit out there about Senderos saying AC Milan are a better team that Arse. Well, I like the boy, and let's say he just misspoke out of his arse. But let's not forget that he's on loan. He's still got to come back, and all sorts of shit can happen should he (likely) flop at Milan...

One day left in the transfer window. I really do love surprises, and I think Le Boss has a big one in store.

More when that happens.

Boycott

Just a note to say that in response to the utter crap that I witnessed from 12.30am to 2.30am on Sunday morning, I will not be writing any further until I see a worthy performance. There is no point going on about how crap it was, who was particularly crap, and why we were. That's bloody Arsene Wenger's job, and if he can't see the problems, then that's the real problem. It was pathetic. To lose our second game of the season, to Fulham no less, scoring only one goal in two games...just makes it all the clearer that we surely ain't going to be challenging for shit with this team and this attitude. For the first time in yonks, I was actually ashamed of putting on an Arse shirt during the weekend.

Some pointers in case Le Boss needs them:

First, I don't see how a Denilson-Eboue central midfield can play anywhere other than the League One. We might as well have started with nine men.

Second, Theo was particularly crap. Too predictably predictable.

Third, Gallas is no fucking captain if he can't raise his team against Fulham.

Fourth, RVP looked like he needed a nap.

Fifth, if not for Clichy and Sagna, the rest of the team might just have fallen asleep.

Sixth, why not put on Ramsey and Wilshere at the hour mark? What the worse that could've happened? We surely couldn't play any more crap.

Ah. Fuck it. I'm not going to lose any more sleep for these shit games at shit kick-off times.

What a Damn Week

Well, first, the long lay-off has been necessary as I tend to Arsewiper Sr, but that aside, what a strange week it has been in terms of transfer news eh?

I must admit that the first I saw of it was a little story (The Sun was it?) that we were taking a look at Mikael Silvestre. My first thoughts of course were, yeah yeah yeah. We've heard so much shit over the summer, but isn't it a bit late in August for this??? Then lo and behold, we sign the dude. Did Arsene just happen to walk by the One Pound Shop? Did he lose a bet? What on earth was he thinking?? We offer a 2-year deal to the 31 year old dude when we wouldn't give Bobby Pires anything more than a year? I must say while I've been tried to be open minded about the many criticisms over the move, this little piece of injustice has got to me the most.

But that said, we could be in for a surprise. Look at it this way. First, the sales of Vieira, Henry and Pires showed us that Le Boss knows for sure, and he has been spot on, that he knows when players are slightly past their best. Then, there's been talk that if he ain't good enough for Man U, why is he good enough for us? Well, consider this. Vieira was never good enough for AC Milan. Henry never good enough for Juve, and Bergkamp never good enough for Inter. But they came, they played and they conquered.

I can see Silvestre as not the best, but decent cover at the back. With talk of Djourou possibly heading off, and Traore getting loaned out, perhaps it makes some sense. He won't be a pillar, but he should be useful should any of our back four need a break.

Don't get me wrong. I'm far from a Silvestre fan. It's already damn difficult seeing his picture all over the Arse website with his new #18 shirt. But I'm the eternal optimist. I'd put some money on him scoring at least one goal this season too. Frank McLintock for one thinks we've got ourselves a real deal!

In the meantime, of course, there's still the silly rumouring going on about Gareth Barry. Stories abound, but this one has Le Boss deciding only after the draw for the group stage next week. Quite cute in a way. What? He's going to say: "Hmmm...ok. It's all shit teams. We won't need Gareth for these games, and we'd sit him out anyway. So okay, let's sign the cup-tied idiot now."

All said and done though, I do think we'll buy one more for sure. Since the news is that Xabi Alonso has been priced out, I won't rule out anyone. If we can sign Silvestre, it could be literally ANYONE!

It's Fulham tomorrow. We're gonna unleash some Shock and Awe at Craven Cottage with Alex Song and Mikael Silvestre! (I hate these # !#%^&*! 5.30pm kick-offs. Do people not know that there's half the universe who'll have to watch the game at 12.30am?!?! And so many more of them to come. Damn these Sky people messing with us!)

Review: Arsenal 1 - West Brom 0

Well, first the few positives: Nasri, 3 points, another clean sheet. That's it I guess. Now the player ratings, which should be self evident:

Almunia 7 - Another dependable performance. Had little to do other than one or two key saves. Good confidence builder yet again.

Sagna 8 - As always, one of the team's star performers. You really can't fault him. It's scary to think what we'd do without him, both in defence and in attack.

Djourou 7 - A pretty quiet, generally dependable but unspectacular performance. Not much more we can expect from a stand-in centre-back, but should prove to be a longer-term deputy to Toure or Gallas.

Gallas 7 - Reliable performance too. Nothing to complain about, though I wonder what that was all about when he seemed to want to get into a scuffle with Djourou. Yes, the boy may have let something in on goal, but c'mon cap...

Clichy 8 - Together with Sagna, the rock of our team at the back and going forward. How he keeps up the performances while his team-mates stagger along I don't know. Staggering.

Walcott 6 - Another disappointing display. Did he even play? Fell over too easily, too many stray crosses. Not good. I'm sure Le Boss may be fast losing patience. He may be given one or two more chances, but I don't see this lasting too long.

Eboue 5- Well, Eboue is Eboue. And when I saw him in the centre of midfield in the pre-game line-up, I shuddered in fear. All in all, since he was on the pitch, let's just say it could have turned out a lot worse. We can just be happy that nothing untoward happened and continue to wonder why Le Boss keeps him around.

Denilson 7 - Not too bad at all. But maybe this was because West Brom gave us sooo much room. Not Cesc by any stretch of the imagination, and he does look good next to Eboue. Like Walcott, Le Boss will probably give him a few more run-outs, but once we buy a more experienced midfielder...who knows.

Nasri 8 - Well, after 3 minutes, we were told why he replaced Hleb. He can erm, like...score goals. A great debut. Appeared all over the pitch. Looked like everything creative we could offer had him involved. Extremely encouraging. Let's just hope he keeps fit.

Bendtner 6 - Alright, but nothing to shout about. Nothing much else to say really...

Adebayor 6 - Extremely frustrating as always. Always at the centre of things, but never really making full use of his chances. We could see why Milan and Barca didn't want to pay that kind of money for him. He just gets so many chances, but the fact that he didn't score seems to exemplify all that went wrong for us.

We no doubt started like a house on fire, and should've been two up within the first 10-20 minutes. Then, we reverted to what we knew best. That is, dominance, nice passing, but...

West Brom gave us the space that Twente didn't, which was why we could play. But let's not expect the same charity from the likes of Boro or Blackburn, so we must be disappointed all in all. But 3 points is 3 points, and the fact that "Top 4 Spurs" lost to Boro makes it so much sweeter.

Here we are then. D-Day

So here we are, and what a long long summer break it has been. All the transfer shennanigans, the welcome distraction of EURO 2008, the Flamini Affair, Hleb-gate and of course, Ade's nonsense. We even had appetisers in the form of the pre-seasons, and our odd performance three days ago. But this is the start of the business. And I cast my mind back to our opening game one year ago. Fulham. The stuff of heart attacks and numerous groans. Of the starting line-up, who's since left? Lehmann, Flamini and Hleb - he who led the come-back. Oh well. I'm sure the rest of the team would know full well what could happen if we perform like we did against Twente. I'm in no mood for more hand-wringing, sighs, groans, etc etc. Let's just get this over and done with by half time.

On the injury front, it looks like Nasri should be back, though it's still cagey with regards to Kolo. Cesc is out and since Diaby's injured as always, I suppose this means more weight on the shoulders of Denilson and who knows, Ramsey? I suppose they should be able to put in a better performance at the Emirates - compared to the rather muted show at that rather muted stadium in Holland. We no doubt have a handful of injuries - so much so that people are talking about a mini-crisis. Which, evidently, has at least prompted Le Boss to say categorically that we WILL be making a signing, probably before the next game against Twente.

Why it has taken so long for him to come to the realisation is another matter. *duh* Put it this way. We should always have put Rosicky and Diaby down for permanent absence. Their being in good health is always going to be a bonus. So we're already missing two permanent midfield places. I wonder when too we're even going to see what Amaury Bischoff on the pitch. So let's go make that signing. Someone who can play immediately. No excuses for youth or inexperience of lack of match fitness. Since Alonso and Barry are cup-tied, that's out of the question. Perhaps we could have them at cut-price just for domestic games!

But let's go then. We've still got Jack Wilshere. What I'd give to see him have a run out today.

Ta ta.

Review: FC Twente 0 - Arsenal 2

I've got a couple of words to describe last night's performance: lackadaisical, disjointed, disinterested, wobbly, unconvincing, poor, unmotivated, lucky.

It was simply terrible. There I was, sitting at 3am in front of the telly, watching a terrible performance unfold before me, and wondering what the heck I was doing up. The first half in particular was scary. But for the fact that we were playing an even more crap team in front of goal, this could have been a bad bad result. How we played reminded me of an FA Cup game, and a Carling Cup game last season. Shocking. It had a total pre-season irrelevant game feel to it, except that we all know it is far from irrelevant.

A crappy game begets a crappy first goal, and the fact that we got a second was probably testament more to a tiring Twente than anything else. I suppose this is as good a time as ever to try out some specific player ratings:

Almunia 7 - He had a little bit to do, and when needed, pulled off a good save or two. This should be a good confidence-building game for Saturday.

Sagna 7 - The only dude who seemed remotely interested and up to it. He can be forgiven a little bit of rustiness, given his energy and commitment.

Gallas 7 - Would have given him a 6, but he gets an extra mark for doing what he does best - sneaking in unnoticed at free kicks and corners. He didn't really score the goal. He just put himself in the way of the ball.

Djourou 6 - Generally unspectacular. One or two scary moments, but it's a toss up whether it's better to have Senderos instead.

Clichy 6 - Not one of his better games. But his energy again is undoubted. Just needs a few more games to get back in shape.

Eboué 1 - I'd have given him a big fat zero. But I suppose he should get a mark just for showing up, or getting himself sent off. What the hell he's still doing in an Arsenal shirt is beyone me. Not a single decent cross, attempt at goal, or attempt at a run. Just pathetic (as usual).

Denilson 5 - Terribly, terribly disappointing. This was his chance. But he flubbed it. Never seemed enthused enough, and was largely pedestrian. No indication of any creativity, and his passes looked more like hopeful kicks than anything else. I think it was he who allowed that dude Denneboom straight through on goal in the first half with barely a sniff as resistance.

Ramsey 6 - Not too convincing either, but can be forgiven, and there were one or two instances of what may be.

Walcott 6 - Disappointing too. Seemed too lightweight, unfortunately. Never made any of his trademark runs, and just looked generally weak. His pass to Ade at the end earned him a consolation mark.

RVP 6.5 - Rather inconsistent. Had glimpses of his usual self, but was generally muted. Didn't do very much to threaten the Dutch defence.

Ade 6 - Generally absent, except for the goal. Never got into the march, and never imposed himself on the game.

All in all, it was not an encouraging performance. All that was needed was a third rate Dutch team to man mark and run down each Arse player, and we were rendered impotent. For the first 60 minutes, there was none of the usual passing, and the fact that our goal came from a scrappy free kick was typical.

Le Boss has got to raise the team. Last night's performance was probably the worst in pre-season, and we've got to pick it up in double quick time for Saturday. He's of course made comments more optimistic than called for, but the point is that we cannot keep using a "young team" as excuse for a less than adequate performance. The next obvious question is why then do we have to keep hoping for extraordinary performances from our youngsters?

As far as this tie is concerned, good thing is that the return leg is largely meaningless. We'd better concentrate on our performances from Saturday on.

We're Getting There...Slowly

Yes, I suppose it's two more days to Twente, and then another two to West Brom. God help me, it's seemed soooo long. Thank god there's the Olympics to tide me over these last few days.

Anyway, there really doesn't seem to be much about, except for confirmation that Abou Diaby is as much made of glass as some of Arse's usual suspects. Le Boss has said we're still short in midfield, and I wouldn't disagree with him right now. Diaby's going to be out for a month or so, and even when he comes back, I can't see him slotting in in place of Denilson. The Brazilian boy should grab his Flaminian chance and cast his name in stone on the starting line up. Good thing Samir Nasri's injury's nothing at all, so we can all continue to look forward to his EPL debut on Saturday.

Almunia has said a few things about Theo, and he seems to be absolutely spot on. Basically:

“He is one of the best players in the squad. The only thing he has to improve is an aspect of character. He’s a very lovely guy — maybe too lovely on the pitch. I keep saying to him he has to become more nasty. After this he will be one of the best players in the Premier League.”

How do yoy say: "Stop being a pussy!!" in Spanish? Yeah man. Theo should like grow a beard and start growling at fullbacks.

Away from London, there's all sorts of funny shit going on in Manchester - and I'm not talking about that shitty club in Red that keeps winning irrelevant trophies on penalties. Surprise surprise - but Chiang Mai-TRT United are beginning to see the problems with having a clueless rich man as boss. On one hand, it sure doesn't help with fan confidence to have an owner who's a fugitive. On the other, it also doesn't help to have your star manager threatening to quit even before the start of the season. But I simply have to say: serves you right, all of you. Losers expecting miracles with money deserve to fall into ruin.

Bluurgh. Still Nothing

Really nothing going on, so I'm gonna dedicate this post to quite an important, but sadly, sad issue: and that is, Ex-Gunners.

First, what can you say about Jose Antonio Reyes? He really had some good times with us. But, his griping about the weather in London, I suppose has got the better of him. First, it was that loan out to Real - which, is probably typical of Arse players getting stuck beyond their depth with a few seasons' good performances under Arsene. Then, it was not getting signed, and having to be satisfied with Atletico. Then, it was his crappy performances - so crappy that he would soon be linked with Newcastle, of all teams. And finally, it this ignominous loan out to Benfica. Sheesh. Gotta feel sorry for him on one hand, but on the other, this quite often happens to people who ditch the club at their prime. Well, the one good thing for him I guess, is that the weather in Protugal's probably better than London.

Then, there's the story of Sylvain Wiltord, who's been "banned" from the first team at Rennes. There was of course his earlier falling out with Lyon, and now this. He says he wants to leave, but how much lower is he willing to go? Shit, and to think this was the guy who scored the goal that won us the league at Old Trafford. What a bad way to go. Good thing he at least left us on relatively good terms on a free.

And finally, there's Freddie. Which is probably the oddest. It helps (personally) that he got paid to get injured, and now he's got a healthy severance package. Damn, I love those things. £6 million to leave the club. How nice. But it's still pathetic - what with Curbs getting blamed for what - as everyone know - was a lemon of a buy. Options are open to him, yes, but how much money would you bet against him going the MLS route?

On a slightly more optimistic and happy note, Le Boss rightly has given Mohawk Billy one more season to prove himself:

"He deserves another go to show his commitment and then we will see where we stand at the end of the season."

Well, that's self evident. If it falls to pieces at the end of this season, methinks it'll be more than Mohawk Billy who will gave to go. He'll be 31, and frankly, probably should look at Rennes by then.

So now it's Charity Shield weekend, and the game with Twente on Wednesday night. Not very fair is that - to have a game on Wednesday night, and then an early kick off on Saturday? I wonder how Le Boss is going to do this: a half-strength team in the first half in Holland?

The Power of Positive Thinking

RVP's beginning to sound like some new age health freak guru:

“I have learned a lot in the last two years because I have been injured so much. I learned what my body can take and what it can't, so it was an interesting period for me."

“I hope next season will not be so unlucky with injuries. But at the moment, I just do not want to think about that, the negative stuff. If you think positive, you get positive."

Well, for lack of anything better than simple finger crossing, I suppose positive thinking won't do any harm.

There's some nonsense going round that we're going to bid for Ruben de la Red. Er, not sure where that's coming from. Somehow, I think we've got spaces to fill elsewhere on the pitch, apart from the middle of the park. UNLESS! We're thinking of giving Eboue Jack Wilshere's old #55 shirt and a place in the reserves. Of course, on the topics of La Reds and our midfield, there's of course the still-unresolved issue of Xabi Alonso. Not a bad idea there. Xabi and Cesc can converse in Spanish as they pass the ball around the centre circle.

Speaking of positive thinking, Spurs are right on the button with their supposed bid for David Villa. Not going to go through any of the reporting on this, but it seems there is or will be a £32m bid on the table. Funny. I know they're ambitious, and this is great positive thinking, but I really don't see the dude making the hike to White Hart Lane for UEFA Cup football, and a pipe dream for a top 4 finish. If he does, then jolly good for him. Not.

The Rise and Rise of Jack Wilshere

Well, there were two 1-0 results, and similar take-aways. First, the loss against Juve really should never have been. We started with what was our Under-19 squad, and to see the likes of Ramsey, Gibbs, Wilshere, and Captain Senderos line up against the big-gun geriatrics was sweet. Despite all the huffing and puffing though, it was typical that our goal was was hyper-dubious offside which the blind linesman missed. I suppose if we're to allow for players being slightly less than sharp, the same should be allowed for referees and their assistants.

The starting line-up against Real was more like it, and apart from Senderos and Denilson, we were as close to first first team as possible. It was great watching. But some of the usual problems cropped up: (a) Eboue the idiot is still Eboue the idiot; (b) Diaby really should learn to pass (unlike his team-mates, who still regularly insist on passing in the penalty area) once his dribbling has gone awry.

What struck me most though, and I'm sure it was the same for anyone who watched - was the performances of Jack Wilshere. My word. Who would believe that this was a 16 year old? The last time we honestly saw such assured performances from someone so young was...I hesitate to say...Wayne Rooney. The difference being: (a) Wilshere looks like a nice (but tough) kid. Rooney looks like a hooligan, or someone who would stab and decapitate you on a Greyhound. (b) Wilshere looks like you could have a nice conversation with him. Rooney looks incapable of more than a grunt. The way Wilshere's going, I wouldn't be surprised to see him sit on the bench for a couple of first teams, and make his way in the way Theo used to. Instead, I think he could make even bigger impacts. Astonishing, to say the least.

Both Ramsey and Denilson put in decent performances in the middle of the park - which under normal circumstances, would be applauded. The sad fact is that we invariably measure them against what would have been if Cesc were on the pitch, and I must say, we missed him. May he be well rested and come out all guns blazing against FC Twente.

So, the bottom line is this: we saw some really really encouraging stuff. For now, we'll put down Adebayor's pathetic misses to pre-season rustiness. (He did have one astonishing run). We'll also hope that once everyone gets sharper (like Nasri), we'll start playing some really sweet stuff. I can already see the potential. The only thing we need to do now is get rid of Eboue. There really is nothing left to say about the dude.

Reactions

Le Boss has said the right things about our tie against FC Twente:


"It's a football country, the clubs are always well organised and we will be favourites. It will be important for us to be at the top of our concentration to go through. We play the first game away. We know we are a wanted target and we want to go to the first game with a top level concentration."


And it's hard to disagree. I can't see us slipping up so long as we take the game seriously enough. That shouldn't be a problem. We've got a team of eager young 'uns eager to prove themselves - unlike the bunch of malaised laggards currently over at Everton. What's rather uncomfortable is that we will have to fly off to Holland in midweek before jetting back for our opening game against WBA. Good thing it's not in like Ukraine or Russia or Turkey, so I shouldn't really complain. Since everyone's nice and fit, and the depth of the team looks good (save for one more signing), we should get by quite nicely. First real look, though, will be tonight against Juve. That should be yummy. Hopefully, we'll have good long looks at the likes of Nasri, Ramsey, Bendtner, and who knows, Jack Wilshere?


Speaking of Twente and their manager loser McLaren, the Independent has a pretty funny, but ultimately honest piece on the coming game. They're spot on that for a long time, McLaren has nothing to lose. So good luck to him. Maybe they'll come out all guns blazing at home - only to get shot down on a series of counters.


Other news is of course that Ade has signed a new deal, worth something like £70,000 a week, and up to 2012. He's doubled his salary, and I think the whole pathetic episode with Barca and Milan must've woken him up to the reality of life. He wasn't going to make £120,000 a week with anyone. Let's see what happens this season. If he plays just as well, and Barca and Milan are still interested, then we can still sell him off for a killing. In signing the new deal, the dude has of course said all the right things, including this:


“When we started talking about my contract I never told him [manager Arsene Wenger] I’d be leaving this club and he knew my desire. My desire was to stay at this club so for me he’s like my father. He’s my boss so whatever he tells me I’ll do it. Our relationship at the moment is strong.”


Sounds like the twilight zone to me. So maybe we'll just put down the summer shenannigans to inter-galactic forces at work that sorta just put the entire concept of reality out of whack.

Okay then, it's two weeks to go. One to the Charity Shield, which really I wouldn't give a shite about except to hopefully see Chelski lose on penalties again. And in less than two weeks, I'll be back to the yummy routine of getting up at 3am for a Champions League game. ha!

Twilight Zone

UPDATE: It's Arse v bloody Steve McLaren's FC Twente. Why why why? I suppose we've got a pretty good record against his Boro, but it's just the thought of seeing him again that just kills me. Another example of divinely poetic luck of the draw.

It's funny that kind of things that come out in the media - usually originating from comments from the anuses of brainless yobs. There's this one: "Bentley gunning for Arsenal", and his comments:

"I've not been sleeping at the moment thinking about running out there. I've always wanted to play in a north London derby, it will brilliant. Hopefully they want to see characters. They don't always go just to watch the football, they'll come to abuse me. I'll get the banter but I'll enjoy that. You don't to have a boring life as a footballer."

I so wish I could shout out on the PA system at the Emirates right before kick off. Let's forget about the loser. Why the heck we should even give him the honour of banter befuddles the mind. Who the hell even cares about the loser enough? I mean, yes, the summer is slow, but this is kinda scraping the bottom for quotes. Let's get this straight once and for all. Bentley is irrelevant. He plays for an irrelevant team. So let's treat him accordingly. The notion of a North London derby seems kinda irrelevant too. Who cares anymore? I mean, it gives me great pleasure beating them, but it'd give me just as much pleasure to see them get beat by Fulham or West Brom too.

Speaking of losers, there's of course this chap called Joey Barton too. People are talking about a 15 match ban. Why don't you just stick him in jail as he deserves and let him play his games in the ole prison patch?

All in all, Arse-wise though, I'm feeling pretty satisfied with things as they stand. No further news is good news, so I've just got two games to watch out for this weekend. It'll be fun, and we'll get to watch some of the boys out playing a serious game for the first time. Before that though, fingers crossed for the Champs League draw in a couple hours time.